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Vote-By-Mail Information

Any registered voter may vote a Vote-By-Mail ballot. Voters may cast Vote-By-Mail ballots in person in the Elections Office during the Vote-By-Mail voting period which begins twenty-nine days before an election and extends until the close of polls on election day. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.. The office is open until 8:00 p.m. on election day.

Once your application is processed, your ballot will be sent to you. After you have voted, insert your ballot in the envelope provided, making sure you complete all required information on the envelope. You may return your voted vote-by-mail ballot by:

1) mailing it to your county elections official;

2) returning it in person to a polling place or the elections office in your county on Election Day; or

3) authorizing a relative or person living in the same household as you to return the ballot on your behalf.

Check with your post office to make sure you have sufficient postage.

Regardless of how the ballot is returned, it MUST be received by the county elections office by the time polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Late-arriving vote-by-mail ballots will not be counted.

When your vote-by-mail ballot is received by your county elections official, your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match. To preserve the secrecy of your ballot, the ballot will then be separated from the envelope, and then it will be tallied.

PERMANENT VOTE-BY-MAIL VOTING:
Any California voter may become a permanent vote-by-mail voter. As a permanent vote-by-mail voter, you will automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot for each election. To become a permanent vote-by-mail voter, you must complete the attached application.

Your permanent vote-by-mail status will only end if you do not vote in four consecutive statewide general elections.